Dave Camp, John Boehner clash in private meeting

House GOP leadership is engaged in an intense behind-the-scenes feud with Republicans on the Ways and Means Committee over a recent bill to patch Medicare reimbursement rates.

The tension ran so high that Rep. Dave Camp of Michigan, the panel’s typically reserved chairman, late last week laced into Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) during a tense interaction in a closed-door meeting of the tax-writing panel, accusing the Ohio Republican’s staff of being dishonest, multiple Republican sources said. Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.), who once served on the Ways and Means Committee, was also in attendance.

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Camp, who is retiring at the end of this Congress, wanted a long-term fix to the formula. Boehner thought Congress had to settle for a yearlong patch.

That Camp and Boehner had such a poisonous interaction is rare. The two came into Congress together in 1991, and have long worked closely on budgetary issues.

The feud highlights the intensity of the internecine fights among House Republicans. But, more importantly, the argument illustrates how some lawmakers are chafing in a cautious Congress that is focused on the November mid-term election.

Camp’s main gripe, as described by sources familiar with the meeting and the disagreement, is shared across Capitol Hill. Congress has been passing short-term fixes to the so-called Sustainable Growth Rate for years. Figures like Camp and Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) wanted to work on a long-term fix. The Michigan Republican asked Boehner to pass a short-term fix to buy extra time on a permanent bill.

Facing a looming deadline, Boehner demurred. The bill that ended up on the floor, which GOP leadership crafted, included budgetary offsets developed by the Ways and Means Committee, but only one minor policy change the panel developed. Committee insiders and their allies felt used.

When Boehner presented Senate Democratic leadership with the package, they agreed to pass it.

Camp called a members’ only meeting of the Republicans on his committee, which Boehner, Cantor and other lawmakers attended. Camp and Boehner sat next to each other while the chairman “lit into him,” according to a source familiar with the meeting. Camp thought Boehner’s staff was not being honest with his staff.

On Friday, with members generally unaware of what was developing, the bill passed by voice vote.

Several sources in leadership and on the Ways and Means Committee described the feud as staff driven.

Michael Steel, a spokesman for Boehner, said, “We all want a permanent solution to the ‘doc fix’ - and the House passed a responsible one.”

“Since Senate Democrats refused to pass a permanent bill at all, we were up against a deadline on a short-term bill,” Steel said in an emailed statement. “Before and after the vote, Leaders worked closely with the committees of jurisdiction, especially Ways and Means.”

Sarah Swinehart, a spokesman for Camp’s Ways and Means Committee, said, “We continue to work on a permanent SGR solution with the other committees and our leadership.”